Bengaluru has top-notch facilities for swimmers in the country, says para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan

Back from setting a new Asian record at the Para Swimming World Series 2018 in Berlin, Bengaluru lad and para swimmer  Niranjan Mukundan feels extremely blessed to be born in the city that has ample facilities for swimmers. In an exclusive chat with Bangalore Times, he talks about his love for the city, on changing people’s mindset and preparing for the Asian Games…
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On breaking a 15-year Asian record
Niranjan, who has been recovering from a spate of injuries, is all smiles when he talks about setting a new record. The swimmer recently broke a 15-year Asian record in the 200-metre backstroke category. “It’s a really nice feeling and a bit of a surprise actually, because I was down with a lot of injuries last year and was recovering. This record has been a memorable experience for me as I beat a lot of European swimmers and some of the top swimmers from across the globe. It has given me a lot of confidence,” says the 23-year-old, adding, “It’s special because I also won a bronze in my favourite event — the 50-metre butterfly category.”
On breaking stereotypes about para athletes

Niranjan says that being a para swimmer has never been an easy task. “People initially thought that being a para swimmer wouldn’t do me any good. They always thought that we are not on par with other able-bodied athletes. But, I believe and hope that I’ve broken that stereotype. Individuals who are into para sports have broken that thought process by winning several medals regularly,” he says.On asking what changes he would like to bring into the system in order to support other para athletes, he says, “People usually think that being a differently abled person, you won’t be able to achieve anything but look at other para athletes. They have achieved so much with very less support from others.” The swimmer says that though people are more inclined to sports like cricket, the mindset is slowly changing now. “Over the years, we have seen many sports come up and many athletes win medals for the country. However, a little bit more support will do wonders for people like us,” he adds.

Bengaluru has one of the best facilities for athletes in the country

Bengaluru, according to Niranjan, has top-notch facilities for swimmers and some of the best coaches in the country. “The city is known as a swimmers’ hub and people from all across the country come to Bengaluru to train as we have the best facilities, in addition to the good weather and infrastructure, that favours them,” he says. However, his love for Bengaluru doesn’t stop there, says the self-confessed movie buff. “I am a complete foodie and a movie buff. Though I follow a strict diet, whenever I find time and I’m in Bengaluru, I like to hang out with my friends. MG Road, Indiranagar, Koramangala are some of my favourite places to hang out in the city,” he adds.

Preparing for Asian Games

Next on his mind is the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in August-September. “Though I’m training and preparing for the Asian Games now, my ultimate goal is to qualify for the Paralympics in 2020 and win a medal there,” he sums up.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Bangalore News / by Sandra Marina Fernandes  / TNN / June 28th, 2018

AZB Bangalore lures ex-NDA Shreya Rao (Nalsar ‘06) to co-head its private client practice

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AZB & Partners has hired Shreya Rao , the founder of Rao Law Chambers, as a partner in Bangalore to co-head its private client practice. She will join from 20 June with her team of two lawyers.

She is a 2006 Nalsar Hyderabad graduate with a 2009 LLM from Harvard Law School, working with Nishith Desai Associates from 2006 until 2015, where she eventually led the private client practice and co-led the international tax practice.

In April 2016, she had founded her own boutique private client firm Rao Law Chambers, which specialised in private wealth and tax work.

Between 2009 and 2013, she was also visiting faculty at NLSIU Bangalore, teaching around direct tax and international taxation, and from July 2016 she also began teaching at Azim Premji University in Bangalore as visiting faculty.

“Her arrival will ensure an even greater push for AZB’s private client practice and international tax practice,” AZB noted in a statement.

Her fellow AZB private client co-head is partner Anand Shah.

Private client work has become increasingly interesting – and potentially profitable – for the large Indian law firms, though it remains niche.

Former J Sagar Associates (JSA) senior partner Berjis Desai, for instance, now focuses on private client work, which he explained in detail in our interview in 2017.

source: http://www.legallyindia.com / Legally India / Home> Law Firms / June 14th, 2018

City-based swimmers traverse English channel

The Master Swimming Relay team comprised six male and two female nation-level swimmers

Age and the choppy, cold waters are no deterrents for 72-year-old Gopal Rao, who lead a team of eight swimmers across the English Channel between France and Britain earlier this month.

He was part of the Master Swimming Relay team, comprising six male and two female nation-level swimmers from Bengaluru, which crossed the 36 km long channel in under 15 hours.

While the youngest in the team is aged 35 years, Mr. Rao was the oldest participant. “We were selected by our coach Satish Kumar, who is secretary of the Karnataka Swimming Academy,” he said.

Mr. Rao is the secretary of Sadashivnagar Swimming Club.

Preparation for the feat took nearly six months, spanning sessions in Goa and Mangaluru. However, the warmer tropical waters did little to prepare them for the frigid conditions of the English channel.

“It was very tough in France. Heavy tides made swimming difficult. And, the water was freezing cold,” said Mr. Rao.

Relay swimming sees one person swimming for an hour before another person from the team takes over. The rest of the team and support staff travelled by boat next to the swimmer. The team started at 6 a.m.

They achieved the feat in 14 hours and 52 minutes, and had enough energy to participate in the world Yoga Day celebrations in London the next day.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / June 26th, 2018

Samsung R&D Institute-Bangalore Becomes ‘Champion for Local Markets’, Wins Zinnov Award 2018

Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore (SRI-B) has been recognized as the ‘Champion for Local Markets’ at the prestigious Zinnov Awards 2018.

The awards recognize achievements of Indian R&D centres and honour stalwarts in the technology space. SRI-B is Samsung’s largest R&D centre outside South Korea.

The jury deemed SRI-B as the winner based on parameters such as its vision, initiatives, implementation and impact in the local market.

Under Samsung’s ‘Make for India’ initiative, SRI-B has been developing several India-specific innovations by understanding Indian consumers’ lifestyle and pain points. As part of this program, SRI-B has developed innovations for various B2C, B2B and Business to Government products.

“It is imperative to understand the challenges and pain points that Indian consumers face in their day to day lives and provide suitable technology solutions. Samsung has recognized this early on and has been continually innovating along this path to empower Indians and their businesses under its ‘Make for India’ program,” said Dr. Aloknath De, Chief Technology Officer, SRI-B.

Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore (SRI-B) has been recognized as the ‘Champion for Local Markets’ at the prestigious Zinnov Awards 2018. Karthik Krishnan (Left) with the ‘Technical Role Model (Middle Level)’ Award and Madhupa Chowdhury and Sundar Srinivasan with the ‘Champions for Local Markets’ Award won by SRI-B.
Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore (SRI-B) has been recognized as the ‘Champion for Local Markets’ at the prestigious Zinnov Awards 2018. Karthik Krishnan (Left) with the ‘Technical Role Model (Middle Level)’ Award and Madhupa Chowdhury and Sundar Srinivasan with the ‘Champions for Local Markets’ Award won by SRI-B.

SRI-B has more reasons to celebrate this year at Zinnov Awards 2018 as Karthik Krishnan, who is a member of the Health and Medical Equipment (HME) Team at the R&D centre working on Medical Imaging and Visualization Technology, won the award for ‘Technical Role Model (Mid-level)’. He was awarded for his capability to influence others within SRI-B as well as beyond, to follow a technical career path.

“I am elated to have won this award from Zinnov as it is a testimony to the vibrant ecosystem that we are able to work within and create new technology. I would like to thank my team for all their support through the years, as well as SRI-B which has given me the opportunity to collaborate with others in our ecosystem and build my technical skills,” said Karthik after winning the award for ‘Technical Role Model’.

Over the last three years, SRI-B has introduced several products and services for its Indian customers. When Bixby Voice came to India with the Galaxy Note8, it was optimized for India by the SRI-B team to understand English in Indian accents. The device was also embedded with a feature that recognized text messages written in Hindi with the S-Pen and converted the message into Devanagari script. Engineers at the R&D centre had recently developed the Social Camera mode that was launched in the Samsung Galaxy J7 Max Smartphone. The Social Camera mode allows users to instantly edit and share photos and videos directly to social media sites from their camera app. SRI-B has also developed the Samsung Tab IRIS, which is the first commercial IRIS integrated tablet to be approved by UIDAI for Aadhaar and KYC verification.

This is the 9th year of the Zinnov Awards and the fourth consecutive year that SRI-B has won a Zinnov Award. SRI-B has won the Zinnov Award for ‘Great Place to Innovate’ in 2017, ‘Center of Excellence’ in 2016 and ‘Design Thinking’ in 2015.

source: http://www.news.samsung.com / Samsung Newsroom / Home> Brand> People & Culture / June 25th, 2018

A Practice That Cures But Leaves A Scar

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Mysuru:

Here is a case that sounds as if it has come straight from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not TV show. A root from jungle is heated and tied to the arms of children suffering from jaundice, severe stomach ache and other ailments in the belief that Goddess Yellamma cures the pain and trauma. And believe it or not, according to patients who have undergone this painful practice, it actually cures!

This practice came to light when volunteers from Rural Literacy and Health Programme (RLHP) were conducting physical examination as part of ‘Anti Child Labour Day’ event organised by RLHP at Bal Bhavan at Bannimantap this morning.

The volunteers came across at least eight to nine children who bore a deep round scar on their arms. So deep was the scar that the RLHP authorities were shocked to see the wound and they applied medicines after cleaning them.

When the volunteers questioned the children about the scars, they told them the scars were caused after a treatment for jaundice. Later, it was discovered that a certain community that resides behind Srinivasa Talkies at Bannimantap have been practicing astrology, collecting hairs to sell as wigs and curing ailments using roots since 20 years.

One of the community members, speaking to SOM said, “Hundreds of parents come to us with their suffering children. We then assess the ailment and get a special root from the forest, heat the root and tie it tightly around the arms of the children who are sick. Later, we wrap the root with a cloth and sprinkle water.”

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“The root is tied for 24 hours and after that the ailment is cured. By the grace of Goddess Yellamma, so far our treatment has not failed and parents are happy that their children are cured,” he said. Many adults in that area were seen with these scars as they had undergone this treatment when they were children.

Dr. Christida Pais of RLHP who noticed this at the Bal Bhavan event expressed shock that even in these modern times, certain beliefs are being followed even by educated class. “These scars are permanent and there is no way to remove them except surgery. We will visit this particular area and educate the people about modern medical system,” she said.

Women and Child Welfare Department Deputy Director K. Radha who was informed about this practice by volunteers said, “I will visit these practitioners and conduct awareness programmes within a week.”

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 28th, 2018

This century-old bandstand in Bengaluru hosted the best of regimental bands

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Bandstand

England witnessed the brass band movement in the 1800s at the peak of the industrial revolution. Musical ensembles using a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments were in demand among the working classes. The latter appreciated cheap and good entertainment. By the late 1800s, as industries expanded and working-class numbers rose, brass bands became very sought-after in that country.

It did not take long to reach the colonies. Bengaluru’s bandstand came up in the 1870s. According to the Mysore Gazetteer (1897), there was a double-pillared, ground-level bandstand near the Bowring Institute. Then, around 1914, a proposal was mooted to demolish it and construct a bandstand inside the Cubbon Park. An ornamental, eight-pillared iron structure was imported from Walter Macfarlane & Co in Glasgow.

“Shipping such ornate structures from England was a way to show British strength and dominance in the colonies,” said Poornima Dasharathi of Unhurried.in, who conducts heritage walks in the Cubbon Park. “The bandstand hosted the best regimental bands and catered mostly to the soldiers and residents in the civil and military station here.”

Initially, the bandstand was located in a rose garden. Officially inaugurated in 1918, the Mysore Infantry Band performed there every Wednesday and Saturday, while the Madras Pioneer Group performed on the fourth Thursday of every month. The latter also put up a grand show there in 1927 to commemorate the silver jubilee of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s rule. Even the Royal Air Force band played here.

Soon, the popularity of the bandstand increased and it became difficult to accommodate the crowds that turned up for the performances. At the suggestion of prince Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, a music aficionado himself, it was shifted to its current location in front of the State Central Library. “According to old Anglo-Indian residents of the Cantonment, patriotic songs and Kannada music played at the bandstand post-Independence,” said Dasharathi.  Performances were organised by the Bangalore Municipal Corporation every weekend. “This died down in the 60s because many other venues of entertainment started mushrooming.”

 The bandstand soon dilapidated because of neglect. Two years ago, the horticulture department decided to restore the physical structure to its former glory. It also collaborated with the Bal Bhavan and the Department of Kannada and Culture to organise 6 am to 6 pm cultural events on Sundays. Mahantesh Murgod, deputy director of horticulture (Cubbon Park), said: “We have made arrangements to accommodate 100 people. So far, our slots are running full.  Music and dance engage beautifully with visitors in the park.”

source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> Magazines> Panache> City Life / by Divya Shekhar, ET Bureau / June 28th, 2018

Madivala lake transforms into biodiversity park

An island has been created in the lake as a nesting ground for birds and reptiles. | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar
An island has been created in the lake as a nesting ground for birds and reptiles. | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar

The 272-acre green space in BTM Layout has been under development since 2016

From just another lake in the city with a walking path along the bund to a biodiversity park, Madivala lake has undergone a massive transformation over the last two years. The 272-acre park in BTM Layout, which was under development since the end of 2016, is now home to many native species of flora and fauna. It is set to be inaugurated in the coming months.

The transformation was the result of a proposal by the Karnataka Knowledge Commission to develop the lake into a unique biodiversity park. Recently, Chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission Dr. K. Kasturirangan met Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy requesting him to inaugurate the park.

At present, only parts of the park, which is maintained by the Forest Department, are open to the public.

Under the project, an open butterfly park, conservatory of insectivorous plants and orchids, cycad and palm grove, herbal garden, island ecosystems and a scented garden are among the features that have been developed.

Professor C.R. Babu, Professor Emeritus, Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystems, University of Delhi, who is spearheading the project, said the park is being developed with an underlying theme to recreate self-sustaining ecosystems with native flora and fauna. It’s a one-of-its-kind park in south India, focusing on creation of the entire ecosystem of flora and fauna, unlike a botanical garden, where the focus is on flora. A biodiversity park offers ecological services like retention of groundwater and prevention of floods, he explained.

Officials said their idea was to make the park not only a place where citizens could relax and get a breath of fresh air, but also make it a place where people, especially children, could come to learn about native flora and fauna.

Butterfly park

Among the prominent features of the park is an open butterfly garden, developed by collecting plants from forests in and around Bannerghatta National Park, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, and Kanakapura region. Around 132 plant species of both nectar and larval host plants have been nurtured to create a breeding space for butterflies. So far, around 40 species of butterflies belonging to five families have been spotted within the butterfly garden, officials said.

Orchids and carnivorous plants

Another significant feature is a collection of nearly 30 species of orchids, 20 Nepenthes pitcher plants, 25 varieties of succulents, ferns and aroids. Developed in separate temperature-controlled enclosures, they are being planted to educate public about the different species of flora. That apart, about 50 species of rare, endemic and threatened (RET) plants native to the Western Ghats have also found space in this park.

Islands and birding area

The park is also being developed to attract birds. Nearly a 100 fruit-bearing plants from 10 species have been planted to attract frugivorous birds, such as bulbuls and parakeets.

An island has been created in the lake as a nesting ground for birds and reptiles.

With the creation of this island, the lake area has been expanded by 10 hectares. This has enhanced the capacity of the lake to hold an additional 250 MLD of flood water during the monsoon. This would prevent flooding of areas surrounding the lake, Prof. Babu said.

According to project coordinator Dr. Padmavathi, there are a lot more features in the offing, which will be developed eventually. These include a rainforest ecosystem, swamp forests and wetland systems.

This project came about after Karnataka Knowledge Commission, in 2015, submitted a recommendation to the government to establish a biodiversity park at Madiwala lake on the lines of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park in Delhi. The government allocated Rs. 24.72 crores for the same and Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) was chosen as the nodal agency.

Proposal for management

The Knowledge Commission has urged the State government to create a separate board to manage the park. “The park requires maintenance. Having a dedicated board will help in the upkeep of the park,” said Dr. Padmavathi. Also, while the KLCDA was in charge of the project, with the wrapping up of the Authority, the project work was slowed down. Officials are now hoping that the park would be handed over to a dedicated management, which could take care of the maintenance work.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Shruthi H.M. / June 25th, 2018

Bidar’s officers who became beacons for the entire State

Ordinary people continue to talk about the work of Moudgil, Gupta,Jaffer, Tewari, Singh, and Ghosh even today

Bidar district is fortunate to get good officers known for their out-of-the-box thinking. Munish Moudgil, Harsh Gupta, P.C. Jaffer, Anurag Tewari, Naveen Raj Singh and Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, to name a few, were not only good administrators leading the bureaucratic apparatus but also people-friendly officers who ordinary folk continue to talk about even many years after they have been transferred.

That many of their unique experiments in the district have grabbed the attention of the political class in Bengaluru who, in turn, adopted them for the entire State considering their effectiveness in improving governance is testimony for their outstanding performance.

When Naveen Raj Singh was Bidar Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer (CEO) between 2003 and 2005, the district witnessed a successful experiment of watershed development through arch-check-dams. A civil engineering graduate, Mr. Singh studied the pressure enduring logic behind Idukki Dam, a double curvature arch dam constructed across the Periyar in a narrow gorge between two granite hills in Kerala, and built the first-ever inclined-buttress check-dam, as it was called, in Bidar applying the same logic.

Considering the reduction of construction costs by half as compared to conventional check-dams and increased life expectancy to around 100 years, the arch-check-dams proved to be a successful model in watershed development at affordable costs. The experiment impressed the State government which issued standing directions to all district to adopt the Bidar model for building smaller check-dams.

Munish Moudgil, who served as Deputy Commissioner in the district between 2005 and 2007, was the man who not only forced the mighty to respect and adhere to the law of the land but also significantly contributed to improving the administration. An M.Tech graduate from IIT Bombay, Moudgil was the one who first conceived the idea of time-bound public grievance redressal system.

He began to hold Jana Spandana, a people-meeting programme, on Tuesdays to address public grievances and put a mechanism in place to see that every grievance is addressed within a stipulated time.

Then, all the other department heads also followed him. Impressed by the initiative, the government adopted it for the entire State under a new name, Sakala.

Then came Harsh Gupta. During his tenure as Deputy Commissioner between 2007 and 2010, Bidar saw multi-front development. He put men on task to identify and protect 96 little-known monuments of historical importance. It was during his tenure that around 1,100 acres of public land encroached upon by private parties returned to government’s possession. His groundwork is undeniable in the famous Bidriware getting geographical indication (GI) tag as he was the one who roped in Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium to train Bidri artisans and get their work globally recognised.

Education was P.C. Jaffer’s cup of tea. During his tenure as Deputy Commissioner between 2012 and 2015, he introduced a series of programmes for improving the education scenario in the district. He selected one efficient teacher from each one of the 1,350 government primary schools and get them trained in English teaching training. Experts from English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad, with whom he entered into an agreement, trained teachers in two sessions with multimedia teaching tools.

Mr. Jaffer conducted a series of career counselling programmes for spreading awareness on UPSC examinations in the backward district. In one of his important initiatives, he conducted a preliminary test for those aspiring for civil services and selected 12 students — eight males and four females, whom he sent to Delhi for higher-level coaching. Two of them cracked the UPSC exams. His efforts to improve the district’s performance in SSLC and PUC examinations were unlimited.

Anurag Tewari, who succeeded Jaffer as Deputy Commissioner and worked between 2015 and 2017, was Bidar’s waterman. In collaboration with Team YUVA, a civil society group of professionals, he identified hundreds of public tanks and wells that were crying for dredging. The collective efforts paved way for the dredging of 100 tanks and 300 open-wells resulting in increased water storage and groundwater table recharge. In 2016, the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who visited a lake in Aurad, locally known as Deshmukh Kere, which was freshly dredged, was so impressed that he extended the initiative to the entire State under the name of Kere Sanjeevini.

Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, during his tenure as the CEO of Bidar Zilla Panchayat, put a system in place for ensuring punctuality of teachers in government schools. The system inspired the Education Department to further develop it into an SMS-Based School Attendance Monitoring System and extend it to the entire State.

Anirudh Sravan P. is another promising officer that Bidar could expect the furtherance of the legacy from. Transferred as Deputy Commissioner of the district by Election Commission during the recent Assembly polls, he got recognised as people’s officer within a short period. It is his repeated visits to the district hospital that made it a patient-friendly hospital. Known for his style of working more from the field than from office, he is still talked about in the rural areas of Kalaburagi where he had meaningfully implemented MGNREGA as the CEO of Kalaburagi Zilla Panchayat.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Kumar Buradikatti / Kalaburagi – June 19th, 2018

Fingerprint expert from Kolar gets national prize

Somashankar, Sub-Inspector of Police, Fingerprints division at Superintendent of Police office in Kolar, has bagged the first prize at the national level for his achievement in the field.

He received the prize at the 19th national convention of forensic experts held at Madhuranagar in Telangana State on June 23 and 24.

Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy gave a medal and ₹10,000 cash to Mr. Somashankar at the valedictory of the convention.

Telangana DGP Rajiv Trivedi, IGP M. Mahendra Reddy and National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) director Ish Kumar were present.

DGP and IGP, Karnataka, Neelamani N. Raju, and Kolar SP Rohini Katoch have congratulated Mr. Somashamkar on his feat.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Kolar – June 27th, 2018

Book on oldest known love story in Mangaluru released

‘L affaire,’ a literary work based on a love story which is known to have taken place in Mangaluru during 12th century AD, was released at St Aloysius College Auditorium in the city on Tuesday.

The book, written by Yenepoya Deemed-to-be-University Dean Dr G Shreekumar Menon, depicts the life of Jewish trader Abraham Ben Yiju, who had his origin in Tunisia and a Nair woman Aashu from Kannur in Malabar region.

Speaking about the work, Dr Menon said that Yiju landed in Mangaluru in 1132 AD for spice trade. He came across Aashu, who was a slave at a household in Mangaluru during the rule of Alupa ruler Alupendra.

Yiju released Aashu by paying money to her owner and freed her from slavery by marrying her. Yiju also set up a brass factory in the region. They were blessed with three children. Among them, two passed away.

Following clashes in Tunisia, Yiju was forced to leave Mangaluru, to his hometown. Whereabouts of Aashu after this incident are not known properly. Yiju passed away on August 11, 1156, he explained.

Letters by Yiju were preserved by his daughter. The letters were found in Cairo Genizah, the Egyptian Synagogue attic. They were kept intact as Yiju had written the letters with a mention of God.

According to Jewish tradition, any work that has God’s name inscribed in it, should not be torn away. The marriage certificate of Yiju and Aashu is among these letters.

The documents are now preserved in Russia.

Authors like Rabbi Mark Glickman and Amitav Ghosh have authored books based on the available documents, Dr Menon said.

Menon stated that the marriage of Yiju and Aashu completes 888 years in 2020 and requested the mayor to build a memorial for the couple.

Mayor Bhaskar K presided over the programme. Dean Dr B H Shripathi Rao, St Aloysius College Principal Fr Pravin Martis, Author Bharathi Shevgoor and actor Sahil Rai were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Mangaluru / DHNS News Service, Mangaluru / June 26th, 2018